Specifically Shimano I suppose,
Its been a while since I ordered a large number of parts but I’ve just ordered a few bits in the last couple of weeks to change my MTB to 1×10 and all the stuff I’ve ordered from Merlin and CRC has all come boxed up in pukka shimano packaging, in the not too distant past I recall receiving stuff in a cellophane wraping or just loose in the bag/box where it had (I assume) been whipped off of a bike bought elsewhere in Europe…

All the stuff I bought was pretty much the lowest price I could find, have all the UK’s “Grey” importers of Shimano kit stopped that now, or are they simply sourcing “official” boxed kit from elswhere in the EU?

It has never been “whipped off a bike” it was supplied as oem kit to bike builders for fitting on bikes.

I do think that shimano have clamped down on it being sold on cheaper than their retail kit. Although it may also be that there are more players in the game going after the oem oversell supply.

Yeah. Why sell something for £10 when you can put it in a box and sell it for £30?

Yeah. Why sell something for £10 when you can put it in a box and sell it for £30?

Well given the prices, and previous experiences with the suppliers I wasn’t really expecting fancy boxes, I’ll only have to stick em in the recycling bin anyway so there’s no actual benefit to me as a consumer.

I’m just surprised that the prices were quite so “affordable” given the posh packaging is now included…

I’d happily go back to the old cellophane wrapped OEM bits set up if that made things even cheaper, but I assume Shimano have said that is a big no no to their distributors now…

you live and learn eh…